The Language Coach programme

A multicultural workplace is a competitive asset, and the Language Coach programme can help you to unlock its full potential. Clear communication in daily work ensures smooth collaboration and prevents misunderstandings.

Through this programme, we train a dedicated Language Coach for your work community – a trusted colleague who clarifies instructions, supports onboarding, and assists teams in multilingual situations.

This enables you to sustainably support international employees and incorporate language support into daily routines, enhancing teamwork and overall work quality.

A Language Coach is a member of your organisation who supports your team in everyday work situations. Rather than acting as a language instructor, they are a trained colleague equipped with the practical tools to support multilingual work.

The Language Coach supports managers, HR personnel, and employees, helping to ensure effective collaboration in a multilingual environment. They also act as a bridge between different roles and help identify and address language-related challenges at an early stage.

A Language Coach:

• Clarifies guidelines and common practices
• Supports managers and employees in daily communication and operations
• Helps to address and resolve language-related misunderstandings
• Encourages international employees to actively use and develop their language skills

The programme begins with an initial assessment to identify your organisation’s needs and the day-to-day communication challenges in a multilingual work environment. This is followed by a two-part training programme:

1. Webinar (2 hours): clear communication, cultural frameworks, and the principles of a multilingual work community.
2. Individual coaching sessions (4–6 hours): practical tools and exercises for everyday work situations.

The programme results in a tailored, organisation-specific action plan that includes concrete solutions for developing language-aware daily practices, along with a framework for monitoring progress and embedding new practices.

The Language Coach programme is designed for organisations that already employ international staff or are planning to do so in the future.

The programme supports work communities operating in Finnish, Swedish, or English, and it is suitable for all industries across the private, public, and third sectors.

The programme is specifically intended for managers, HR professionals, and other key personnel who want to ensure that multilingual everyday work runs smoothly.

You can sign yourself or members of your organisation up for the free Language Coach programme using our online form.  The schedule and content will be agreed individually and tailored to your organisation’s needs.

The coaching is provided by Work in Finland in collaboration with Arffman.

Contact: kielikoutsi@edu.arffman.fi

Note! The coaching falls under the de minimis aid scheme. The aid applies to companies, and participating companies must complete a de minimis declaration. Read more about de minimis aid.